Laminated fireproof material.



G. E. BEHRENS @n J. VEIT.

LAMINATED FIREPROOF MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED 1120,28, 1911.

1,063,939v Patented June 3, 1913. lgl

nvwton wwe/w @Mya 6. @M1/rw @Moulay fran srATEs PATENT ortica anonce n. BEHaENs, or IvoRY'roN, CONNECTICUT/AND JosEF vnrr, or NEW Yank, N. Y.

LAMINATED FIREPROOF MATERIAL.

Specicatio'nof Letters Patent.

Application filed December 28, 1911. Serial No. 668,355.

To all 'whom it mag/concern Be it known that we, (1) GEORGE E. BEHRENS and (2) JOSEF Vnrr citizens of the United States, residing at (l) Ivoryton and (2) New York, in the counties of (1) Middlesex and (2) New York, and States of (l) Connecticut and (2) New York, have invented certain new and useful Iriiprovements in Laminated Fireproof Materlal, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention is a iireand water-proof material simulating wood, capable of being cut and shaped by ordinarywood-Working tools and especially suited for the interior trim of fireproof buildings. `AThe material consists of superposed sheets of uncolored or colored asbestos paper, the surfaceI of each sheet in some cases being grained to imitate wood, with interposed layers of a fireproof binder, which may also be colored, the product being either in at'sheets or corrugated, tluted, or molded into any desired contour.

Where an especially light material is desired,

burnt porous clay is mixed with the binder.

A solid volatile material, such as naphthalene may also be mixed with the binder and evaporated in finishing the leaving cells in the binder-layers.

The binder essentially comprises: silicate of zinc; silicate of calcium, ormagnesium; and fluorid of sodium. It is made by mixing: 1 part by weight of fluorid of calcium,

. or 1.64 parts 'of iu/rid of magnesium; 3

parts of oxid of zinc; and 19 parts of a4() per cent. aqueous solution of silicate of sodium. These constituents begin to react as soon as they are mixed, the liuorin leaving the calcium or magnesium and combining with the sodium to 've insoluble luorid of sodium, and the sillca leaving the sodium and combining with the oxids of zinc and calcium, or magnesium, to produce their sili# cates. These silicates serve as an elicient binder while the liuorid of sodium acts as a filler. l

We have yfound that the silicates of zinc and calcium'or magnesium not only serve to coact 1n binding together the asbestos sheets, but that the presence of the zinc silicate, which is relatively soft and of comparatively!) tough consistency, modifies the hardness and brittlenesswhichwould result if silicate ofcalcium alone were used. As

a result of the combination, a product is product,

produced which can be worked with tools like wood.

In manufacturing the product, asbestos paper of variable thickness, usually having a roll through a trough containing the liquid binder. A number of the coated sheets, for example ten or twelve, are then superposed and the pile is compressed, preferably by hydraulic pressure. The platens of the press may `be fiat, or may be shaped to give the product such contours as are usual for interior woodwork. The compressed material is then dried, preferably n vacuo, and is ready for use. When it is shaped into hollow moldings, the back may be filled with any. suitable light lreproof plastic composition such as a mixture of infusorial earth Vand oxychlorid of magnesium, plaster of Paris, or other quick-setting mixtures which can be worked by tools when set.

When it is desired that the product should have the 'appearance of wood, both supericially and at cut portions, the asbestos paper and binder may be colored to imitate the natural colors of the wood. Suitable colors which may be mixed with the binder are, for instance: For a yellow product, yellow ocher; for a red one, red chalk; for walnut, a mixture of burnt umber and Vandyke brown; and for black, gas lampblack. While the asbestos paper and binder may be given the same color, especially where surface graining or decorating only is important, it is in many cases preferable to give the binder a contrasting color, to imitate the natural wood grain. The surface of each of the superposed sheets may also be grained to imitate wood. v I

When a lighter material is desired, 3 parts of clay and 1 part'o sawdust are mixed with water to give a plastic mass. This mixture is then finely granulated by rubbing it through a sieve of the required degree of neness, and the granules are dried and burned on an open hearth, at a red'heat, shrinking somewhat. From 2 to 25% by weight of the crous burnt clay granules 'are then mixed with the binder specified above, according to the lightness desired. The

.having its edges beveled to show the grainlike appearance of the material when cut; Fig. 2 is a cross-section, on an enlarged scale, on the plane 2--2 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a molding.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the upper surface of the block grained to have the appearance of a wood surface, B are the layers of asbestos paper and C are the layers of binding material between the a veneer of superposed and compacted sheets asbestos sheets.

Fig. 3 shows the material pressed into the shape of a molding, A representing the grained upper surface, B the layers of asbestos and D a fillingV of any suitable waterproof, lire-proof plastic composition of the character above described.

We claim:

1. As a new product, a rigid sheet comprising superposed and compacted sheets of asbestos paper with intermediate layers of a ireproof binder comprising silicon-oxygen compounds of zinc and an alkalineearth metal.

2. As a new product, a rigid sheet comprising superposed and compacted sheets of asbestos paper with intermediate layers of a ireproof binder comprising oxysilicates of Zinc and an alkaline-earth metal.

3. As a new product, superposed sheets of asbestos paper with intermediate layers of a iireproof binder comprising oXysilicates of zinc and calcium and sodium fluorid.

4f. As a new product, superposed sheets of asbestos paper with intermediate layers of a fireproof binder comprising the reactionproducts of Zinc oXid, anr alkaline-earth metal luorid, and an alkali-metal silicate.

' 5. As a new product, superposed sheets of asbestos paper With intermediate layers of a fireproof binder comprising the reaction-products of zinc oXid, calcium Huorid and sodium silicate.

' 6. As a new product, a rigid sheet comprising superposed and compacted sheets of colored asbestos paper with interposed layers of a fireproof binder of contrasting color.

7. As a new product, a rigid sheet comprising a plurality of superposed and compacted sheets united by a binder, the surface of each sheet being colored and grained to imitate wood.

8. As a new product, superposed sheets of asbestos with interposed layers of a cellular binder. i

9; As a new product, superposed sheets of` asbestos 'with interposed' layers of a cellular binder containing porous particles of burnt clay.

l0. As a new product, the combination of of asbestos paper withintermediate layers of a lfireproof binder "comprising siliconoXygen compounds of zinc and an alkaline` earth metal, and a ireproof backing.

11. As a new product, a molding consisting of a luted or curved hollow veneer of superposed and compacted sheets of asbestos paper with intermediate layers of a fire-l proof binder comprising silicon-oxygen compounds of zinc and an alkaline-earth metal, and a ireproof backing.

l2. As a new product, a solid, fire-proof, water-proof material comprising siliconoXygen compounds of zinc and an alkalineearth metal and sodium luorid.

13. As a new product, a solid, tire-proof, water-proof material comprising the reacalkaline-earth silicate.

ln testimony whereof, we alix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORG-n n. BEHRENS. Josas vnrr.

metal and an alkaline metalv Witnesses:

BENJ.' M. KAYE, ALFRED B. HANO. 

